Cheddar beignets with sesame dressing

These deep fried cheesy choux pastries by Galton Blackiston are perfect served as bite-sized canapes and will kick off any dinner party in style.

Serves2
Cooking Time50 mins

Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

For the beignets

50 gbutter
150 ml cold water
1 tsp sugar
75 g plain flour
50 g mature cheddar, finely grated, plus extra to serve
2 eggs, beaten
Sunflower oil, for deep frying

For the sesame dressing

2 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1lime, juice only
1 red chilli, chopped
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Good pinch szechuan pepper
2 spring onions, chopped
dashes of olive oil

Method

For the beignets
Put the butter, water and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and add the flour, beating well until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar, followed by the eggs, one at a time, beating all the time until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Fill another heavy-based pan one-third full with sunflower oil and place over a moderate heat, do not leave this pan unattended. Using two spoons, add spoonfuls of the pastry to the pan - take care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes, or until they are nicely browned and have risen to the top.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the finished beignets warm while you continue frying the rest of the pastry. While still hot, grate more cheese over.

For the sesame dressing
Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, along with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve the beignets hot with a little dipping pot of the sesame dressing.To prepare the potato dauphinoise, finely slice the potatoes using a mandolin and set aside in water until required.